Listen to him

Hello Lovelies! Along the lines of this "not all disabilities are visible" track I've been on lately, I've blogged about a number of fascinating mental/psychological/emotional challenges people face in this world--and I've learned a TON! Or as the subject of the following video might put it because David Gray-Hammond is British, I've learned LOADS:) Unfortunately I couldn't find this man's precise location, and I'm just assuming based on his accent that he IS from the Isles, so it's possible, in the interest of full disclosure, that I am wrong:) But I'm going to proceed for the purposes of this entry as if Gray-Hammond is British. That is said with all love and respect; no matter the speaker or his location, it's the message that matters, and this guy is being tremendously brave an vulnerable putting himself and his own perspective out into the universe for dissection. And there will be dissection here, but it will also be with love and respect. So here we go! Recently I've been introduced to individuals in my own life who hear voices due to their schizophrenia or other neuro-divergence, and I've always wondered what it was like in their heads. It's similar to how I felt upon first meeting a new-to-me Autistic person as an adult. I find myself almost distracted by the repeated question of pure interest and compassion in my own head--"what's it like in their minds?! What are they hearing?! Do they hear me?" And to listen to Gray-Hammond, the answer is heart-breaking. They try:( But there are so many other "people" talking at them at once, it is 100% understandable that they can't always tell what they've heard. How unbelievably frustrating. And tragically sad. When I've encountered it in my own life, because I didn't thoroughly understand what it's like to hear voices, I had to fight the urge to get frustrated with THE SUFFERER--because I felt like they weren't listening. This demonstration has shown me how it is not at all, in any way, the fault of the sufferer if they DON'T hear you. They were fighting through the noise to pay attention to the conversation. It's like how I had to turn off the music in the background just to "hear" my own thoughts well enough to write a cogent blog post--times however many voices are in an individual's head:( What a revelation Gray-Hammond has given me through this short little reel on social media! Sweetheart. I hope he isn't ever overwhelmed by the struggle with his own voices. I know I will never, ever look at them the same way again. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1806704329785629?mibextid=kcDB8O